Teenage Wasteland is blaring on the PA and to UFC fans, that only means one thing: we're moments away from going liiiive! I'm here in Philadelphia as the pay-per-view card gets ready to kick off and I'll be bringing you all the action as it happens. Hit refresh after every round and enjoy.
Catch up on the undercard fights here, but first up on the live broadcast we've got Josh Neer taking on Kurt Pellegrino.
Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellegrino
The New Jersey native, Kurt Pellegrino gets a huge hometown welcome and Neer gets that good old Philly Phuck you.
Round 1:
Pellegrino comes out aggressive and goes right for the takedown. He lands in side mount but Neer pulls guard. Neer almost gets an arm bar but Pellegrino lefts him and slams his way out of trouble. Neer is going for a triangle choke, but Pellegrino is there with the defense. From half guard, Pellegrino fires an elbow and a few body shots. Both fighters are tremendous on the ground and the otherwise hostile crowd seems to be appreciating the subtleties of the ground game and cheer as Pellegrino sneaks back out to half guard.
Round 2:
Pellegrino lands a clean left. He follows up with a good combo and then changes levels for a takedown. Neer pulls guard. Neer is starting to look annoyed with himself as Pellegrino is able to stifle most offensive attempts. Neer again goes for an arm bar but Pellegrino slips it. Pellegrino tries for NEer’s back an Neer goes for a kimura, but nothing gives. Pellegrino again goes for the back and this time gets it. He’s got a body triangle but Neer is defending nicely. The bells rings before Pellegrino is able to do any damage.
Round 3:
Pellegrino catches a Neer kick and takes him to the mat. Neer continues to look for the arm bar but Pellegrino will have none of it. Pellegrino is staying active on the top and is likely scoring points with the judges because of it. Now the boos are kicking in and Neer (from the bottom) throws out his hands as it to say, “What do you want from me?” Kurt is working from half guard now. He takes Neer’s back for a moment but slips off and Neer lands on top. They quickly get up to the feet and Pellegrino dives for Neer’s leg. Neer looks to lock up a kimura but can’t get it, so he fires a few elbows to Pellegrino’s head as the final seconds tick away. After the bell, Pellegrino shows a nice cut on his head and the crowd boos. Neer is very upset, either with himself or with the crowd, or with both. His attitude wins him no points on the score cards and Pellegrino walks away with the unanimous decision.
Kendall Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida
This is a very interesting fight. Grove has that huge reach advantage, but against a Gracie black belt, he’s got to be very careful not to let his limbs get away from him or else Almeida will break them off.
Tito Ortiz gets face time on the big screen and fans give him a good ribbing.
Round 1:
Grove has him is a Thai clinch but Almeida bullies him against the fence and starts to look for the takedown. When the action returns to the center of the Octagon, it’s Almeida who lands the first shot of consequence. Almeida has him against the fence and Grove tries to wrap up his head, but he’ll have to try harder than that and Almeida gets a takedown out of it. Almeida goes for the back but can’t quite get there and lands a few knees to the side of Grove. Grove gets up, but only for a briefly as Almeida lifts him with a double leg.
Round 2:
Almeida has him down again. He gets sloppy and leaves his arm hanging. Grove is all over it and locks up an arm bar. It’s tight and Grove could be on his way to an unbelievable finish. Almeida grimaces with pain but fights through and spins to relieve some pressure and eventually gets his arm free. Almeida is working from the top now and he gets in some ground-n-pound. Grove back to the feet and still looking for the clinch; he gets one good knee to the face of Almeida. Almeida scores one more takedown before the bell.
Round 3:
Almeida catches a Grove kick and lands a punch in the process. They go to the mat briefly but stand right back up. From inside the clinch Almeida pulls guard and Grove is able to land some good shots but the referee stands them up in a slightly questionable move. Almeida ends up with another takedown and Grove looks for a gogoplata but he can’t get it. Grove kicks him off and gets back to the feet. The final bell rings and both fighters raise their hands.
Although Almeida looks like the one who’s been in a fight, he gets a unanimous decision.
Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks
Hendricks gives his slight nod to Rocky as he does a little kneel and pray on his way into the Octagon. It seems to go unnoticed by the Philadelphia crowd.
Making his way to the cage, Sadollah still looks pretty skinny despite his post weigh-in gorging. It will be interesting to see if fatigue will play a role in this fight for Amir, who isn’t used to dropping so much weight.
Round 1:
Furiously exchanging in the opening seconds, Hendricks catches Sadollah and the chin and sends him staggering. He lands a few more from the clinch and Sadollah drops to his knees. Amir caught a few unanswered shots and Dan Miragliotta steps in to stop. The replay proves the call came just as Amir is standing up. The crowd is very upset but the call is made and there is nothing to be done about it now.
It may have been an early stoppage, but it’s a judgment call by the ref and we have to honor his decision. I will always prefer an early stoppage over a late one where someone could get seriously hurt.
You may have also noticed that sweet Spike.com logo on Amir’s ass as he was trying to get up. That wasn’t my idea, but I will gladly take credit for it at Monday’s wrap-up meeting.
